Pressure-sharing and burning-enhancing structure of tobacco chamber of pipe

ABSTRACT

A pressure-sharing and burning-enhancing structure for tobacco bowl of a smoking pipe includes a pressure-sharing member that is positioned or formed inside the tobacco bowl of the smoking pipe with the pressure-sharing member occupying a fragmental portion of the cross-sectional area of the tobacco bowl whereby in vertically and downward stuffing tobacco into the bowl, the pressure-sharing member effectively shares the vertical pressure applied to the tobacco in order to prevent the portion of the tobacco adjacent the bottom of the bowl from excessive depression and accumulation of humidity therein and consequently resulting in more complete burning of the tobacco inside the tobacco bowl and realizing pressure-sharing and burning-enhancing of the bottom portion of the tobacco.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates generally to a pressure-sharing and burning-enhancing structure of tobacco chamber of a pipe, and in particular to an accessory device for smoking pipe capable of sharing vertical pressure of tobacco to prevent the tobacco from compactly depressed and enhance complete burning of tobacco.

[0003] 2. The Related Art

[0004] A conventional tobacco bowl of a pipe has a structure of V-shape or U-shape. The V-shaped tobacco bowl has an inverted triangular configuration having a wide top side and a narrow bottom side and the U-shape has a cylindrical configuration having substantially uniform diameter or a conical configuration having a narrow bottom side, both receiving and retaining tobacco therein. No matter what shape of the tobacco bowl is used, in filling tobacco into the tobacco bowl, a pressing bar is commonly required to apply a depressing force to forcibly stuff the tobacco into the tobacco chamber. However, the pressure caused by the pressing bar in stuffing the tobacco into the tobacco chamber makes the tobacco adjacent the bottom of the chamber excessively depressed and very compact, leaving almost no room for air flow to pass therethrough and thus incomplete burning of the tobacco in the bottom of the tobacco bowl. This leads to a great amount of un-burned tobacco remaining deep inside the tobacco chamber. The smoker must remove the un-burned tobacco before the next use of the pipe.

[0005] Another factor that causes the incomplete burning of tobacco in the conventional tobacco bowl is the physical phenomena induced by the smoking activity of the pipe user. In other words, the top and bottom sides of the conventional tobacco bowl have substantially the same cross-sectional area, giving a large air intake volume. Thus, when a sucking force is induced in the bottom of the tobacco bowl, the external air that is sucked into the tobacco bowl must travel from the top side of the tobacco bowl, through the stuffed tobacco, toward the bottom portion thereof, which indicates that penetration force of the air flow through the tobacco is gradually reduced toward the bottom of the bowl. The portion of the tobacco that is located adjacent the top of the bowl can be completely burned due to the sufficiency of the supply of the air, but the portion of the tobacco located deep inside the bowl can only be burned at discrete points due to the reduced penetration force of air, leading to incomplete burning of the tobacco adjacent the bottom of the bowl. Further, the smoker must use more force to bring air flow through the tobacco.

[0006]FIGS. 6-8 show two conventional ways for overcoming the resistance problem in the smoking pipes. Among the drawings, FIGS. 6 and 7 show a smoking pipe A having a tobacco chamber A1. A hemispherical filter A2 is received inside the chamber A1 and positioned on the bottom of the chamber A1. Tobacco B is then filled into the chamber A1 and is deposited above the filter A2. Thus, the tobacco B is spaced from the bottom of the chamber A1 by the filter A2. However, the tobacco B may still get excessively depressed by the depressing operation of the pressing bar and humidity inside the tobacco cannot be removed, both leading to incomplete burning of the tobacco.

[0007] In the conventional example shown in FIG. 8, tiny pebbles A3 are placed in the tobacco chamber A1 to replace the filter for spacing the tobacco B from the bottom of the chamber A1. Again, the tobacco B may still get too compact and humidity cannot be removed. In addition, the tiny pebble A3 may block the air hole A4, making the pipe A useless.

[0008] Thus, it is desired to have a device for enhancing burning of tobacco inside a tobacco chamber of a smoking pipe in order to overcome the above problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] An object of the present invention is to provide a pressure-sharing and burning-enhancing structure of tobacco bowl of a smoking pipe, comprising a pressure-sharing member whereby by placing or forming the pressure-sharing member, together with tobacco, inside the tobacco bowl, the pressure-sharing member shares the vertical pressure applied to the tobacco in order to avoid excessive depression of the tobacco and accumulation of humidity in the portion of the tobacco that is located deep inside the tobacco bowl.

[0010] Another object of the present invention is to provide a pressure-sharing and burning-enhancing structure of tobacco bowl of a smoking pipe, which occupies a fragmental portion of the cross-sectional area of the tobacco bowl for reducing the air intake volume inside the tobacco bowl and allowing the user to suck in air with less effort.

[0011] To achieve the above objects, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a pressure-sharing and burning-enhancing structure for tobacco bowl of a smoking pipe comprising a pressure-sharing member that is positioned or formed inside the tobacco bowl of the smoking pipe with the pressure-sharing member occupying a fragmental portion of the cross-sectional area of the tobacco bowl whereby in vertically and downward stuffing tobacco into the bowl, the pressure-sharing member effectively shares the vertical pressure applied to the tobacco in order to prevent the portion of the tobacco adjacent the bottom of the bowl from excessive depression and accumulation of humidity therein and consequently resulting in more complete burning of the tobacco inside the tobacco bowl and realizing pressure-sharing and burning-enhancing of the bottom portion of the tobacco.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] The present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art by reading the following description of preferred embodiments thereof, with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

[0013]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a smoking pipe constructed in accordance with the present invention with a tobacco pressure sharing device detached from the smoking pipe;

[0014]FIG. 2 is a top view of the smoking pipe of the present invention;

[0015]FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the smoking pipe of the present invention;

[0016]FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 3 but showing a smoking pipe in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;

[0017]FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIGS. 3 and 4 but showing a smoking pipe in accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention;

[0018]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a conventional smoking pipe;

[0019]FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the conventional smoking pipe shown in FIG. 6; and

[0020]FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of another conventional smoking pipe.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] With reference to the drawings and in particular to FIGS. 1-3, a smoking pipe constructed in accordance with the present invention, generally designated with reference numeral A, comprises a pipe bowl (not labeled) defining a tobacco chamber A1 having a top opening for receiving tobacco B and a closed bottom for retaining the tobacco B and a pipe stem (not labeled) extending from the pipe bowl and defining an air hole A4. A tobacco pressure sharing device 10 that is separate from the pipe A is positioned on the bottom of the tobacco chamber A1. The tobacco pressure sharing device 10 comprises a body (not shown) having an arc back side contour 11 substantially in compliance with an inside surface of the chamber A1 whereby the device 10 is allowed to position against the inside surface of the chamber A1 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. A conic recess 12 is defined in a front surface of the body of the tobacco pressure sharing device 10. Preferably, a circular recess (not labeled) following the conic recess 12 is also defined in the front surface of the device 10. The tobacco pressure sharing device 10 has a top side forming a pressure support face 13 surrounding the conic recess 12 for sharing a portion of a depressing force applied to stuff the tobacco B into the chamber A1. Thus, the portion of the tobacco B that is located deep inside the chamber A1 may not be excessively depressed and accumulation of humidity therein is avoided, thereby enhancing completely burning of the tobacco B deep inside the chamber A1.

[0022] In accordance with the present invention, the tobacco pressure sharing device 10 occupies a fragmental portion of the cross-sectional area of the interior space of the chamber A1 (as shown in FIG. 2), effectively reducing air intake volume of the chamber A1. An air path L leading from the top side of the tobacco B toward the air hole A4 can be readily establishing, smoothening air flow through the tobacco B whereby air suction through the air hole A4 by a smoker can be done with less effort and tobacco B can be more completely burned.

[0023]FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of the present invention, in which the tobacco pressure sharing device 10 that is located inside the chamber A1 is integrally formed with an inside surface of the chamber A1 as a unitary member. Similarly, the tobacco pressure sharing device 10 has a front surface in which a conic recess 12, preferably followed by a circular recess (not labeled) is defined. Tobacco B is filled into the chamber A1 and the force that depresses the tobacco B into the chamber A1 is partially shared by the device 10 thereby preventing the tobacco B from being excessively depressed and enhancing air flowing through the chamber A1 and the air hole A4 and eliminating moisture accumulation. Burning of the tobacco B is thus enhanced.

[0024]FIG. 5 shows a further embodiment of the present invention in which the tobacco pressure sharing device 10 is integrally formed with the inside surface of the chamber A1 and is arranged inside the chamber A1 at a position substantially between the top opening of the chamber A1 and the bottom thereof. Similarly, the tobacco pressure sharing device 10 has a front surface in which a conic recess 12, preferably followed by a circular recess (not labeled) is defined. Tobacco B is filled into the chamber A1 and the force that depresses the tobacco B into the chamber A1 is partially shared by the device 10 thereby preventing the tobacco B from being excessively depressed and enhancing air flowing through the chamber A1 and the air hole A4 and eliminating moisture accumulation. Burning of the tobacco B is thus enhanced.

[0025] It is apparent that the location or altitude of the tobacco pressure sharing device 10 inside the tobacco chamber A1 does not affect the function of sharing depressing force by the device 10 and thus, the device 10 can be formed at any desired altitude and location inside the chamber A1.

[0026] Although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that a variety of modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention which is intended to be defined by the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A pressure-sharing and burning-enhancing structure of a tobacco bowl of a smoking pipe comprising a pressure-sharing device received in the tobacco bowl and occupying a fragmental portion of a cross-sectional area of the tobacco bowl for sharing a depressing force applied to tobacco located on bottom of the tobacco bowl.
 2. The pressure-sharing and burning-enhancing structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the body has an arc back side contour substantially complying with an inside surface of the tobacco bowl whereby the body is positionable against the inside surface of the tobacco bowl.
 3. The pressure-sharing and burning-enhancing structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the body has a front surface in which a conic recess is defined.
 4. The pressure-sharing and burning-enhancing structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the body has a top side forming a face for partially supporting the depressing force.
 5. A pressure-sharing and burning-enhancing structure of a tobacco bowl of a smoking pipe comprising a pressure-sharing member integrally formed with an inside surface of the tobacco bowl and occupying a portion of a cross-sectional area of the tobacco bowl for sharing a depressing force applied to tobacco located on bottom of the tobacco bowl.
 6. The pressure-sharing and burning-enhancing structure as claimed in claim 5, wherein the body has a front surface in which a conic recess is defined.
 7. The pressure-sharing and burning-enhancing structure as claimed in claim 5, wherein the body has a top side forming a face for partially supporting the depressing force. 